Talk me out of selling my sedan...

[bimrologist]

Long story short, I've come across an Imola E39 M5 for sale that is just begging me to bring it home.. and there's no way the misses will be on board with 2 shiny red sport sedans in one garage.

The ZHP is paid for, needs absolutely nothing and is a blast to drive on a daily basis. I went through the entire car shortly after I drove it back from San Antonio this passed winter and have loved every minute of it. Moreover, just a few months ago I sprung for Active Autowerke performance software with secondary air and post O2 functions deleted, Supersprint catless headers and a set of coilovers.

I've always wanted to own an M car, and I feel like the E39 M5 is the most attractive given that it's still a proper car with 4 doors ; ) and has the least amount of gut-wrenching failures as compared to say the E46 M3 or E6x M5/M6. I'm torn!!

[Vas]

No. Don't do it. The steering feel is not the same

[bimrologist]

I've never had someone comment on the steering feel of an E39 M5 before but you and I are in complete agreement! Never been a fan of gearboxes compared to rack and pinion steering for sure. That def just killed the mood, much abliged sir!

No. Don't do it. The steering feel is not the same

[az3579]

All my opinion, having driven both:

The ZHP is a better car as a package. With the M5, all you really get is the motor and maybe the comfort. The rest of it the E46 does better, IMO, at least from a driving enjoyment perspective.

I've driven my friend's E39 M5 a few times and while the motor and power is addictive, the rest of it was incredibly meh to me. You may feel differently driving one, but the horrendously laggy drive-by-wire system in that car ruined the whole experience for me, since I rev match every shift. I couldn't rev-match is anywhere close to as well as my car, which was a major letdown for me personally. Let's not mention the maintenance costs, because they are astronomical.

On the plus side, you have an attractive, comfortable, powerful sedan with a decently large boot and enough space to comfortably fit rear passengers.

Sent from my LG V10 on Tapatalk

[BMWCurves]

I second most of BP and Vas' thoughts. I find the E39 platform to be sporty, but more of a GT car than a sports car like the E46. It's a lot heavier, the steering is much slower (something like 17:1 vs the ZHPs 13.7:1, and I personally don't need the size. I've never driven an M5, only a 540i (the poor man's M5), but I prefer the E46. I can understand all of that going out the window for that 400 hp V8 though. Its sound is glorious. The car is gorgeous.

[NoVAphotog]

I've never had someone comment on the steering feel of an E39 M5 before but you and I are in complete agreement! Never been a fan of gearboxes compared to rack and pinion steering for sure. That def just killed the mood, much abliged sir!

Vas, Shawn and William have talked me out of selling for an M3 several times. It comes and goes. Don't let the ///M's call to you. Stay off of the classifieds!

S54...mystic blue...black leather...6mt...8000rpm...



Nooo...Nooooo...it's happening again...!!!

Must think...

Rod bearing maintenance item...$$$$$...valve adjustment...$$$$...$1600 tires...i have turn key zhp that looks like it came out of the factory, that needs nothing and three sets of wheels, LSD and coilovers...no reason to change.



Alright...alright...no ///M's for me...Going to sleep.

Mid pedal travel breaking point clutch.......actually special...noooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!

[webster]

Both are great cars but there are two major factors here

1) 3 v 5 series - either you need the extra room and therefore the weight or you don't

2) maintenance costs - either you're willing to pay twice as much in ownership costs or you aren't


You can see why most people on a ZHP board are partial to foregoing the ///M, but I think you'd get the opposite opinion on an M5 forum...

Choice is up to you obviously.

[KevinC]

At one point I had a Z4MC + my ZHP. Absolutely ideal combo. After 8 years of ownership of the Z4, I decided to swap it for an E39 M5 last year. Went whole-hog and opted for an ultra-cherry, low mileage EAG car. Just short of 1 year later, I was done, sold it back to Eric and bought a new Golf R. The M5 just never turned my crank. The steering is awful, especially compared to the ZHP, which sets SUCH a high bar. The electronics, even for the era, are awful to the point of absurdity. Even with the "upgraded" M-audio system, the stock tunes are absolutely horrendous. Everything else just old and out of date, including no factory Bluetooth, which is pretty much an essential for me nowadays. My ZHP is an '05 and it at least has Bluetooth included with the Premium pack, so at least I can answer a phone call without some expensive add-on module, or hideous aftermarket wart on my visor. But those were relatively minor annoyances, the car and driving experience just didn't do much for me. LOVED the looks, always did/always will - but found myself preferring to drive the ZHP. And now I regret ever unloading the Z4MC, especially since I had bought it new back in '07.

So don't do it.

And the Golf R is an awesome car. I'm about 2200 miles in and loving it. At some point I need to write a review and post some pics.

[D1ESEL]

Spend your money on an e9x M3 if you want an M car. The rest are neat but become maintenance whores very quickly.

[az3579]

The F80 M3 calls my name every single day. But, even if I was to spring for one, huge car payment and all, the ZHP is going nowhere, partially because it's worthless for value (way too many miles) and partially because it's just such an awesome car.